Weeknight Recipe: Quick and Easy Fried Rice

updated Jan 29, 2020
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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

Fried rice meets all our requirements for a fast weeknight meal: minimal prep work required, quick to pull together, and deeply satisfying. We like ours with plenty of savory soy sauce and a kick of hot red pepper! Our version is vegetarian, but you could certainly add some shrimp or stir-fried beef if you like. Take a look!

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Easy Fried Rice

Makes 2 to 4 servings

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2

    eggs, beaten

  • 1/2

    block tofu, cubed

  • 1 to 2 cups

    cooked rice, white or brown

  • 2

    handfuls bok choy, stems and leaves sliced thinly

  • 1/2 cup

    frozen corn

  • 1/2 cup

    frozen peas

  • 4 to 5

    spring onions, sliced into thin rounds

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons

    soy sauce

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons

    rice wine vinegar

  • Optional extras: 1/2-inch freshly grated ginger, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, splash of sesame oil

Instructions

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  1. Place a skillet over medium heat and add a teaspoon of oil or butter. Scramble the eggs, breaking them into small curds. When the eggs are just barely cooked, scrape them into a clean dish and set them aside.

  2. Increase heat to medium-high and add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Sear the tofu on all sides, stirring only occasionally and cooking until the tofu is golden-brown on all sides. Remove the tofu from the heat and set it aside in a clean dish.

  3. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and stir in the rice. Make sure all the grains of rice are coated with a little oil, then spread the rice into a thin layer across the bottom of the pan. Let it cook for a few minutes, then gather it together and spread it out thin again. Continue until the rice is toasted and beginning to brown.

  4. Add two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of rice wine vinegar (and ginger and garlic, if using), and stir. Add the bok choy and cook until the green parts of the leaves are wilted. Add the peas and carrots, cooking until they are warmed through. Stir in the eggs, tofu, and spring onions.

  5. Taste and add more soy sauce and rice wine vinegar if needed. Hot sauce and sesame oil can be added here, or sprinkled in each individual bowl instead.

What else do you like in your fried rice?